Taking a closer look at nature, summer 2013

When I go hiking or I’m on some other outdoor assignment for the BDN, I try to take a variety of photos — landscape photos, action photos, wildlife photos, etc. The following is a collection of “detail photos,” images of the small things in nature that are easy to miss. Some of these photos border on what is called “macro photography” — the art of taking close-up pictures that reveal details that can’t be seen with the naked eye — but really, you can see these insects and flowers perfectly fine with the naked eye. I didn’t use a special lens (I just got up in a spider’s grill or zoomed in on a mushroom). Still, I think these photos are a good reminder to stop and look closer at the world around you. Many were taken in my backyard.